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Suction aeration helps protect stored grain

The data showed that, during the summer, suction aeration cooled the stored wheat’s upper portion, or “surface zone,” more quickly than pressure aeration, and that the difference correlated to fewer insect pests.

By Jan Suszkiw, United States Department of Agriculture | Aug 29, 2010

Aeration — blowing ambient air through grain storage bins — has been used for decades to maintain the quality of grain by keeping it cool, as well as to manage stored insect pests.

But few recent studies have examined whether it’s better to direct air from above or below as a means of using temperatures of 60 degrees Fahrenheit or below to control insects.

The data showed that, during the summer, suction aeration cooled the stored wheat’s upper portion, or “surface zone,” more quickly than pressure aeration, and that the difference correlated to fewer insect pests. For example, in pressure aeration-cooled bins, 3,290 rusty grain beetles and 8,210 red flour beetles were found in surface-zone traps, versus 662 and 722 respectively in suction aeration-treated bins.

Suction aeration’s rapid cooling of the grain’s surface zone is advantageous because that’s where insects initially infest the grain after flying in from outside, according to Arthur.

Larger-scale studies are needed. But one expected benefit to using suction aeration could be reduced reliance on the fumigant phosphine to control insects. The research, published in the journal Applied Engineering and Agriculture, supports the USDA priority of promoting international food security.